HOUSTON -- Muchos jóvenes, especialmente los de color, están evitando inscribirse a la universidad, quizás anticipando una recuperación laboral posterior a la pandemia que hará que la educación superior sea innecesaria.

Pero los profesionales en el área dicen que esto es imprudente.

Martha Parham, de la Asociación Estadounidense de Universidades Comunitarias, dice que tradicionalmente casi la mitad de los doce millones de estudiantes inscritos en universidades comunitarias están en programas técnicos y profesionales que les brindan las habilidades para ingresar de inmediato al mercado laboral.

Pero desde el año pasado, ha habido una disminución del 10% en la matrícula de los colegios comunitarios en todo el país.

"Históricamente, cuando hay una caída en la economía o se están perdiendo trabajos, hay una tendencia a ver un repunte en la matricula de los colegios comunitarios," informa Parham. "Pero eso no ha sucedido en lo absoluto durante la pandemia."

Parham dice que los estudiantes con al menos un título de asociado generalmente ganan $10,000 mas por año que aquellos que solo tienen educación preparatoria.

Dos universidades comunitarias de Texas, Houston Community College y Dallas College, fueron recientemente beneficiadas con becas y fondos de tutoría de PepsiCo y su fundación filantrópica, para apoyar a los estudiantes negros e hispanos de universidades comunitarias.

Parham dice que las contribuciones de las fundaciones pueden beneficiar significativamente a los colegios comunitarios, especialmente cuando se combinan con agencias locales que ofrecen a los estudiantes servicios de atención médica, junto con alimentos y recursos de vivienda.

Ella dice que los estudiantes de colegios comunitarios pueden enfrentar desafíos porque generalmente tienen alrededor de 28 años, y algunos de los que son negros o hispanos no están familiarizados con la estructura de la educación superior.

"Muchos de ellos son padres, el 29% son estudiantes universitarios de primera generación, asi que imagínate tratando de navegar el proceso de solicitud y el proceso de admisión completamente en línea."

El National Student Clearinghouse Research Center informa que en 2020, la inscripción por primera vez se redujo casi un 20 por ciento entre los estudiantes latinos.

From gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson to Superintendent of Public Instruction hopeful Michele Morrow, some Republicans running for office have suggested North Carolina could reject federal funding for public schools.

The idea is raising red flags for parents and teachers alike. The North Carolina Justice Center estimates turning down federal funding could strip more than $1 billion from schools and result in thousands of job losses.

Justin Parmenter, a teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, thinks it would harm vulnerable student populations and strain already underfunded schools, especially in rural areas.

"Things like providing free and reduced (price) lunch for students who need that support," Parmenter outlined. "It would be serving students with special needs. It would be funding programs like substance abuse and mental health care."

Those who would turn down federal funding said it comes with "strings attached" or requirements they do not agree with. But Parmenter countered he has heard no clear plans on how to offset the nearly $1.7 billion shortfall it would create. He stressed a lack of a concrete strategy raises serious concerns about deeper cuts to public education.

Claire Kempner is a parent of three public school students voicing similar concerns, particularly about how cuts would affect rural areas and the quality of education. She worries about teacher retention in the face of low pay.

"We have a really hard time retaining teachers, especially in more rural areas of the state, like where I live," Kempner explained. "Teachers are not paid well enough, where they can live off of their salary. They're going to go to other areas or they may even leave the state completely."

The North Carolina Justice Center reported rejecting federal funds for North Carolina schools would lead to wider gaps in racial and economic opportunities.


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Colorado voters will decide whether to change the state's constitution to ensure families have school choice as a fundamental right.

Kallie Leyba, executive director of the American Federation of Teachers-Colorado, worries Amendment 80 on November's ballot would hurt the state's already underfunded public schools by diverting taxpayer dollars into a private school voucher program.

"Which would put Colorado's budget on the hook for paying for private education," Leyba pointed out. "It would drain the resources that the 95% of kids in Colorado who are attending public schools rely on."

Colorado students already have the right to attend any public school, including charter schools, regardless of where they live under the state's Public Schools and Choice Law. State law also allows families to home school or enroll in private school. Proponents of Amendment 80 said it will cement those rights into the state's constitution and protect parents' rights to educate their children the way they believe is best.

Josh Cowen, senior fellow at the Education Law Center, pointed to decades of evidence showing private school vouchers have led to some of the steepest declines in student achievement on record.

He added measures similar to Amendment 80 passed in Arizona, Florida and Ohio have led to serious budget cuts.

"Those states are spending a billion dollars each right now on vouchers, primarily for kids who are already in private school," Cowen explained. "When you're spending that kind of money on private religious education, you're not spending money on other things."

Leyba argued Amendment 80 could also harm Colorado students in rural parts of the state who depend on public schools.

"We have quite a few districts that are considered rural," Leyba noted. "Those kids don't have the options of private schools. Public schools are their option, and it's really important that we keep those public schools strong."

Palm Beach County schools are working to curb chronic absenteeism, which has surged since the pandemic.

Nearly 39% of Palm Beach County students missed 11 or more days of school last year.

Keith Oswald, chief of equity and wellness for the Palm Beach County School District, said families often face a combination of challenges triggering absences, so the district uses a variety of strategies, including sending notifications to parents when students reach five, 10 or 20 missed school days.

"I would say the more common where we see the 10 to 20 day range, I think it's a bad habit that we picked up from COVID of not coming to school that's stuck," Oswald observed. "Thinking that I could just miss a day or two a month is not a big deal but really, we're trying to educate people that it is a big deal."

The 2024 Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book revealed chronic absenteeism nearly doubled nationwide after the pandemic, with 30% of students missing significant amounts of school. The report also emphasized the long-term economic risks of learning loss, with U.S. students potentially facing $900 billion in lost lifetime earnings due to decreased academic achievement.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the statewide average of kids missing 21 or more days of school has modestly improved from a record high of almost 21% in the 2021-22 school year to 19.4% last year.

Oswald said the district also organizes problem-solving meetings with families to address concerns like transportation and housing instability, which can be primary causes of absenteeism.

"Sometimes it comes with employment; there's sometimes mental health issues in the family," Oswald outlined. "Food insecurity can come up at times. In our most severe cases, I think it's a sense of despair that a family gets into and needs additional support."

When community outreach fails, Oswald noted Palm Beach County has more formal procedures like working with a local judge on truancy interventions to help families understand the law and find solutions. He added the district needs more support staff to help with this dedicated outreach.

According to the Kids Count data, students in poverty and children of color are disproportionately affected by chronic absences, further widening the achievement gap.


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